In the face of intense pressure from workers across the country and mounting concerns from Republican lawmakers, President Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew himself from consideration this past week.

Two weeks ago, more than 20,000 men, women and children spilled into the streets of Santa Ana in solidarity, a signal that when our neighbors are threatened because of their sex, race or creed, they are not alone.

On Saturday, millions of people in cities across our nation will walk together in solidarity and support of women. While the largest group will spill throughout Washington, D.C., more than 9,000 are expected to walk shoulder to shoulder in our own community.

As we conclude one year and begin anew, we must learn from lessons of the past to make a better future. The year 2016 seemed to be characterized by an elevated level of vitriol, as though the general population has been holding in decades of frustration, shame and rage, and it has all suddenly come pouring out of every corner of society.

Every year the Register recognizes influencers throughout our communities — leaders who have made a mark, whose stories provide a glimpse into the incredible and diverse fabric that makes Orange County so special. Congratulations to each of the honorees.

Every Monday morning when the California Legislature is in session, the early Southwest flight from John Wayne Airport to Sacramento is filled with our local state senators, Assembly members and an assortment of lobbyists and staffers headed to the Capitol.

Today is an historic day for Orange County veterans – a day when we will finally get to stand together and ensure the sacrifices, the courage and traditions of our county’s service men and women will be remembered for generations to come.

If there has been one silver lining to the mud pit this presidential election has become, it’s that the national backlash against what Donald Trump so dismissively called “locker room talk” has given a voice to countless women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed.

Over the past few decades there has been a dramatic increase in the privatization of our nation’s prisons and jails. That growth has been accompanied by increasing scrutiny of private prison operations as one report after another has revealed disturbing conditions inside those detention facilities.